This past Monday, I was able to talk with Sam and some others about transracialism and transgenderism.  I had obviously heard of transgenderism because of Bruce Jenner (at the time) and other celebrities who felt trapped within their own bodies; however, I had never heard of the term transracialism up until this point.  Transracialism was championed by Rachel Dolezal, a member of the NAACP who claimed that she was African American when in reality was just caucasian.

Although I do not fully understand what it means to be transgender, I am willing to accept that people may feel trapped within the social constructs of gender and not be allowed to express who they think they really are.  However, it is very difficult for me to accept someone’s claim that he/she is transracial.  For example, Rachel Dolezal’s claim that she was black somewhat annoyed me because she thought that getting very tan and modifying her actions would connect her with African Americans and their culture.  We all agreed that her actions were somewhat ridiculous because making simple changes to your outward appearance doesn’t mean you know or have experienced everything that encompasses a specific group of people.  Also, since I am also caucasian, I am angered by the fact that she was more willing to create a connection to another group and not accept who she really is.  Each person has his/her own background and culture, and he/she should be willing to accept them and be prideful of them (while always attempting to fix any parts that are detrimental to other people).